A miracle let us meet again
by flowerylies
Summary: Based after episode 24. Slaine is released after 7 years and during his time in prison he meets Eddelrittuo.


Upon release, "Slaine" was _essentially_ exiled. But he wasn't Slaine anymore, given a new identity by the empress. He wasn't sure if it was more of her "merciful" intervention in the course of his life or pressure from the UEF due to the costs of maintaining the facility he and only he was being kept in for an indefinite time. Like his death.

Seven years later, rebuilding was still trudging along and earth still wasn't fully recovered at all. The scars of war on the earth would take decades if not more to heal, and the relations between the governments, let alone the people even longer. Maybe it was guilt, maybe it was because it's what she thought she had to do, but the empress did everything to make sure Slaine doesn't or rather _isn't_ allowed to die while the world around him tried to heal as well.

Maybe she wanted him to atone.

 _We can thrive together. That's what you said, Slaine!_

Kaizuka was all too ready to help her, another disgustingly loyal servant.

Somehow she always controlled him, from giving him back life when on the brink of death to deciding the course of the rest of his waking moments. Even if she wasn't around her ghost had to haunt him.

Kaizuka Inaho used to show Slaine himself, but "right", not crooked. He was the accepted one, the one who won everything but the girl. He filled Slaine with bitterness during the first years of him visiting, but it soon died out and was replaced with indifference and a little curiosity. The antagonism never stopped completely though.

 _I can't keep holding onto this grudge forever. But if I give it up, what else do I have? He's the only damn human contact around here. We have nothing but our differences._ Thoughts like that often plagued him.

Slaine didn't know who told him, but Inaho offered an option of gardening in the area behind the mansion. This was a terrible suggestion, because a garden only reminded him of what he built for that woman.

 _Why don't you do it for yourself?_ Kaizuka suggested that back then. Slaine never did something for himself before. He was imprinted on by so many people he didn't know what he really wanted now. But he tried it and Kaizuka often observed and asked him things about the practice and about the flowers. At least there was one thing he knew he was better at the other at, and that was surprisingly, gardens. He thought he would want to show off what he made back on his original landing castle to him and boast about it. He wondered who had come upon it after he was stripped of everything.

Asseylum took it, he was told at a later point. Slaine didn't know how to feel about that, but he hoped the flowers were well taken care of. He taught Eddelrittuo a lot about the proper maintenance of the garden. She always listened so intently to him. Slaine always enjoyed his times with the maid who hated him before, where he wasn't a count but a normal boy.

 _The "Slaine" the empress knew._

Maybe it wasn't right after all. Slaine didn't know what to accept of himself or reject entirely sometimes. He couldn't return to those days of childhood anymore so clinging to it would do him no good at all.

He often recalled the day the empress visited him for the first and last time.

 _She had brown hair and casual clothes, but Slaine recognized her instantly. Her eyes weren't any different, but more tired than before._

 _She had a pitiful smile and approached him with clasped hands, "Slaine, this garden is lovely."_

 _When Slaine didn't say anything she continued, spinning around it it, "I'm glad Kaizuka brought her idea to you. I thought it was a good idea as well. It's clear this is something you enjoy, right?"_

" _As soon as I revealed your situation to her, she wanted to do this. Though she wasn't allowed to come immediately…"_

 _Her idea? Who told Kaizuka this?_

 _As if reading his thoughts she answered without looking back.  
_ " _Eddelrittuo. She really admires you, you know?"_

 _Slaine had a small smile on his face. He really didn't deserve that girl's loyalty, but he was glad she was safe at last and with the princess she loved so much. Saazbaum had wanted her dead as well, she knew too much and was too young to be trusted, but Slaine managed to convince him otherwise._

" _You know" Asseylum turned around pouting, "I think she likes you more than me!"_

 _Slaine truly doubted it, but he wouldn't tell Asseylum she was wrong. It was hard to speak in her presence. Again, she was unreachable and untouchable. But Slaine didn't want to go after her anymore. He was too beaten and tired._

 _She turned her back to Slaine again._

" _She's always visiting your grave. Every week when she's off duty."_

" _She places blue roses there."_

 _She looked over her shoulder at him. His eyes were obscured by his long hair. The back was well past his shoulder by now._

" _She's here, too."_

 _Slaine looked up, and his eyes were wide and fearful._

 _As if on queue, the gateway to the garden opened slightly and a girl with long brown hair poked her head out. The guard moved aside so she could get a better view, her eyes were darting everywhere nervously as she was taking in all the sights of the garden at the same time. As her eyes landed on Slaine she jumped out from behind the gate, nearly tripping as she lunged forward._

" _M-master Slaine!" she stammered out.  
_ " _Please don't call me that, Eddelrittuo." he didn't like it at all. He didn't deserve it at all._

" _I'm so relieved you alive!" the girl didn't seem to register his words at all and she quickly ran forward. Slaine got up from his chair and stepped backwards. He didn't deserve a visit from the empress, and certainly not this poor girl._

 _Eddelrittuo seemed visibly hurt, biting her lip and wringing her hands._

" _I wanted to come as soon as I was told, but there was so much clearance to be done…"_

 _Slaine hung his head lower._

" _You said blue roses mean miracles, but also the impossible, those words always stuck with me when I heard of your death." she didn't move from her spot but she didn't stop looking at his slumped figure leaning on the brick wall as if for dear life._

" _I still believed that you were out there somehow, that's why I always brought flowers for you, those same blue roses. I raised them myself. I was very difficult." she clamped her eyes shut as tears started falling._

 _Asseylum didn't move an inch, eyes focused on Slaine and unreadable._

" _So I'm so glad...that you're alive…." her shoulders started shaking and she felt warmth and arms around her. She quickly moved forward to hug him back. Slaine didn't realize she was so strong, because breathing was really hard after a few seconds. Maybe he had gotten that pathetically weak. Muscle atrophy did a number on him._

 _But that wasn't the only reason breathing was hard, because Slaine had broken into harsh sobs. He wondered if this was what it was like to meet family you love and been separated from. She was like a little sister to him, he realized. When Asseylum had woken up from her coma he also felt similarly, but this time it was reciprocated and that made all the difference. He thought in that moment maybe he could continue living if there was someone alive who cares so deeply for him even if he thought he didn't deserve it._

 _Slaine didn't see Asseylum after that, but instead of visiting his grave when she was free, Eddelrittuo visited his cell and garden with him from then on and helped him with it. Slaine was amused by how mean she was to Kaizuka. Another thing he did better._

In the present day, Slaine was relocated to a small, slightly dilapidated house in the english backwoods. His hair colour has lightened from the stress of his first years of incarceration. His name was now "Arthur Walker" and all his official papers reflected this. No one he had regular contact with called him that though. All the basic amenities he needed were here, though the water pressure was a bit low most of the time. Every month he got a supply of groceries from Eddelrittuo. He tried to tell her not to but she wouldn't have it. His house was about a mile away from the martian embassy, which Eddelrittuo requested to be transferred to. Every week she tried to visit, driving the way in her SUV. Slaine realized she liked driving large cars rather than something sleeker, as Kaizuka did. She'd gotten freakishly taller in the last 3 years, past Slaine's shoulder, so she could easily reach the pedal now. She was taller than the empress now, Kaizuka had told him once.

She pulled up and hopped out of the vehicle when someone else stepped out of the backseat. It was the eyepatch soldier.

"This is new" Slaine stated after the initial shock wore off, leaning on the door frame with his arms folded.

"Since he was in the country, he wouldn't stop pestering me about seeing where you lived."

"I hope this isn't a sign of things to come."

"Me too."

Inaho didn't say anything as he was carefully looking the house up and down, "nice place."

It was hard to tell when he was sarcastic, because as Slaine got to know the guy, he realized he wasn't a people person at all.

"Thank you, it's got the full works." he replied derisively.

Inaho looked at him and nodded as if it didn't register at all.

 _Why did I lose to him._

"I brought food." he suddenly announced and walked toward Slaine who was standing in the doorway. They could see totally eye to eye now, Kaizuka had also grown. His hair had been cut shorter as well, compared to Slaine who still had it long.

Slaine sighed, stepping aside.

"Well the his cooking is not bad at cooking at all so I can't complain," Eddelrittuo said as she trotted in after them.

They sat around a small wooden table with the food all laid out, looking delectable. Slaine did know Inaho was good at this, and he hasn't had his food since he left the prison, so it was actually great to taste it again. Though he wouldn't say it. Because Slaine was awful at cooking.

They were allowed to talk about intergalactic events with him now, but considering the current political atmosphere they weren't sure how long it would last.

Eddelrittuo looked up from the soup in front of her, it was too hot to touch yet, "She's really stressed, living on vers again."

"There's a lot of riots after the war. They aren't too happy about aldnoah becoming open access on earth but not on mars, as you know."

Slaine nodded and took a bite of the egg salad sandwich.

"I don't think the idea is bad in itself, but it's obvious martians would have an issue with it." Inaho added, "now that earth has reactors, more resources and higher population it's understandable for them to be wary.

"So if something isn't done soon, you think things may go to hell up there?"

"There's no one around who has replaced your revolutionary thoughts, but it's possible. There just won't be any one person to pin it all on anymore but the state itself unless they go against Asseylum."

Slaine looked up at the wooden ceiling, "if vers could realize how much there is wrong with them, then that's great. Being rid of me is one thing, but it's not enough."

Eddelrittuo eyes were downcast at that. Seeing what was happening now, she thought Slaine did wrong things, but also right things. His cause wasn't just but it also wasn't pure evil, though there were only a handful of people who thought that way. There were many things wrong with vers. Everyone on earth could agree with that, at least.

The prejudices she had before were gone from her experiences with terrans, but still very strong with many martians. But she hopes no one will take up Slaine's mantle if it means the UEF will cast a spotlight on the former orbital knight leader to come for his head. His methods were not ideal, but she wondered what the right way of fixing things was. Asseylum couldn't find it yet but maybe someday she would. The empress was still young herself. Those who surround her were limited in their perspectives. Slaine didn't have all the answers either.

She sipped some soup and found it was cold now, "bleh," she stuck out her tongue at Inaho who looked vaguely offended and it made Slaine cackle.

Once they were done catching up, Eddelrittuo proposed an idea.

"Let's take a drive across the countryside."

"Are you sure you're allowed to do that with me?" Slaine had gone out before. Outside his house, that is. He could escape, but he never had any motivation to. There was no where for him to go anyway.

"Hmph, Kaizuka and I are pretty high ranking you know!" she said smugly with her hands on her hips, "but if you aren't convinced, just look at this."

She handed him a paper giving her permission to take him out so long as they don't leave the county or enter civilian populated areas areas. She'd need higher authorization for that.

Slaine hummed appreciatively.

"Then let's go."

There certainly was a lot of grass out here. The forest green expanse seemed to stretch out for miles and it probably did. Slaine saw cows, goats, chickens, so many animals he hasn't seen in over a decade. He thought about how he became an authority on earth education for the former princess despite his young age and limited experience. It really showed how out of touch mars was with the blue planet they coveted so much.

Eddelrittuo interrupted his thoughts then, "Lemrina is coming back from mars" she side eyed Slaine, "when I told her about you being alive and living out in the woods she wanted to come down immediately, saying she'd come live with you!"

"She romanticised it a lot, saying crazy stuff like you had a cozy cottage in the woods perfect for a honeymoon."

"It's really no place for a young woman to stay, so I hope she's joking. But I wouldn't mind the company."

Eddelrittuo swerved off the road and into an already bent stop sign.

"Jesus christ, Eddelrittuo!"

"Please watch the road."

"Sorry" she muttered, face beet red.

Once they had inspected the car and saw no serious issues but a ruined paint job they got back onto the road.

Slaine closed his eyes and felt the fresh air against his face and enjoyed it blowing through his hair. He felt he could stay on this drive forever. Suddenly, the vehicle came to a halt. They were in front of a rocky incline now.

"I heard the view from the top of here was really beautiful!" she looked over at Slaine in the passenger seat, "and no one should really be around here at such an odd time during the weekdays."

"I really didn't bring shoes for this." Kaizuka sounded mildly irritated and and Slaine laughed at it,

"You want a princess carry?"

"I wouldn't be averse to it-"

Slaine got out quickly and ran behind Eddelrittuo.

Inaho followed behind them gingerly.

Once they reached the top Slaine had to say the girl was absolutely right, this was an amazing sight. The hills spotted it like crowns, the sky was clear, blue and beautiful and the lake below them sparkled brilliantly. Farm fields and and grass lay out like patchwork with a variety of colours.

"It's amazing."

Eddelrittuo wasn't looking at the vista but at Slaine. His smile was so gentle and there was wonderment in his eyes. She was glad she could show him something that gave him such a reaction just like he did when he taught her about earth and showed her all those pictures or flora and fauna back on the moonbase.

She tried scooting a little closer to Slaine.

"My legs are cramping" Eddelrittuo expression soured at the prodigy pilot's words.

"Then walk it off!" she snarled.

He really couldn't understand the atmosphere as usual. But when she looked back at Slaine she realized he was staring back at her with that same warm smile.

"Thank you."

"N-no. Thank _you_."

Slaine still didn't think he deserved this kindness, but he thinks he'll allow himself to be selfish for a change and accept it without pushing anyone away.


End file.
